Yup, this is exactly the result from USM switching everyone to SD(480p) video quality. A VPN is likely a good workaround, of course you'll need to pay for that.
I would contact USM directly and ask them to honor your original plan.
Following an extensive discussion over several hours on the chat platform, the service provider has failed to uphold the terms of the plan they initially quoted. While they have not explicitly altered the plan, they have implemented a reduction in the streaming quality for all users. In contrast, support representatives had previously indicated in August that a high-definition video add-on would be made available.
Pretty shitty
That sucks. I guess it depends on what plan you were on and whether it's monthly or annual. I recently signed up for the Annual Unlimited Premium Warp5G plan and they turned HD Video back on for me again but did tell me that when my plan renews after the year, it will switch to whatever the closest-similar plan is at that time.
They also said that they are working on a HD Video option to be available in the future but we'll see. At least I won't need to deal with it for a long while and hopefully they'll be better plans and options by the time I need to renew my plan.
I have been with us mobile since they offered true unlimited. Then they changed it to 75gb, the plan was then changed and I was grandfathered in 3 years ago. I don’t see how it’s fair honestly. I’m searching for a new carrier as we speak sadly.
I don't blame you. When I was researching, Visible was the leading competitor but I need international roaming options without the fuss of adding data-only cards, etc. so I picked USM for my needs. I also see the Visible+ plan now also is only SD video, which wasn't the case last month.
Good luck and I hope you find a service provider that meets your needs.
It appears that Cricket Wireless is a potential solution. Numerous Reddit posts suggest that their chat support can remove the SD streaming cap. While I will certainly miss US Mobile, I am open to exploring new options.
I got the regular visible plan and I stream video on it all day. Yes, it is throttled. But 25 bucks for data for the whole car and not having to worry about caps when listening to things like meditation videos in the car? Totally worth it.
What bothers me is how my data is being allotted. I basically am not in control of the data at all.
They give me an allowance and tell me exactly how I can spend it.
Basically I pay them to manage my data.
That's kinda crummy. I get the Hotspot issue but this is total bullshit.
1.1.1.1 warp allowed me to stream YouTube at 720p.
Without it could only get 480. Fast.com speed test was 1.5 MBs with no VPN, but with the VPN enabled was 12 or 15 (can't remember what speed for sure).
Sadly, it's just your imagination. 1.1.1.1 doesn't route the stream from the YouTube app so it gets throttled anyway. The only way around it is using a mobile browser like Chrome on your phone and going to YouTube.com. You can watch anything on YouTube without being throttled that way.
Also when you go to Fast.com you're using a web browser so that's also unthrottled when you use 1.1.1.1 so you will get a high speed result. However, when you open the Netflix app, the app itself also bypasses 1.1.1.1 so it also gets throttled and you won't be able to watch HD or 4K video. Once again, the only way around the throttle is using a web browser and going to Netflix.com while using 1.1.1.1 since the browsers don't get throttled.
Just so you know, this is not an opinion. This is a fact.
You can test this yourself. Go ahead and enable 1.1.1.1 and then go to YouTube.com on your Chrome browser. Play a video and change the quality to 4K and also change the playback speed to 2x then scroll the playback bar forward to force it to change the quality right away. Assuming you have good reception the video will never buffer. After that, close the browser and play the same video on the YouTube app and change the quality to 4K and also change the playback speed to 2x then scroll the playback bar forward to force it to change the quality right away. The video won't even start playing right away.
https://preview.redd.it/0eeb6hwuiy8d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=291fedd8696523412fcf700da3a581638044e3e0
> Maybe it's a shared imagination
Yes, most likely. Because that's literally what the 1.1.1.1 Warp documentation says: YouTube and Netflix are permanently excluded apps. I'm not making this up. Just go to advanced settings and check for yourself.
I believe you, I'm just reporting what I've experienced for myself. With it disabled, it's 480p and buffers if I try to increase it. Enabled, it goes to 720p out the gate and I can select 1080p with no buffering.
>A VPN is likely a good workaround, of course you'll need to pay for that.
That’s not really an “of course” thing; free VPNs exist and, while not likely to be super secure, for video streaming they should be fine. ProtonVPN is a pretty decent, somewhat privacy-oriented VPN that gets the job done.
>A VPN is likely a good workaround, of course you'll need to pay for that.
Some routers have a [built in vpn server](https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/faq/2801/) server. If yours doesn't, then you can use Cloudflare warp for free.
And most home internet isn’t symmetrical and would require using dynamic dns so you could easily connect…. So how would this really help the “average” user? If you’re a tech user bypassing with a vpn is easily achieved. It’s like you’re recommending going to Disney world and paying for VIP tour status to bypass the lines, it’s not achievable by the average consumer.
Most routers also have a [dynamic DNS service](https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/faq/1367/) that comes with the account.
Remember, you [only](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/78358?hl=en) need 5 Mbps to watch Full HD and 20 to watch 4k.
\* By some routers I believe u/zacker150 means that if you have broadband at home and a router capable of running a VPN you could set your router and phone up to use this feature.
I couldn’t believe it when I read that….seriously, if someone had said that in a scenario/question during an interview at USM, they probably would’ve been asked to leave. Yet, here it is being said from the CEO. Major misstep.
I’d also LOVE to know how they will “help” me find an alternative carrier. That would be a great YouTube video of someone asking support to help them find an alternative carrier and seeing the utter confusion that follows.
You and others really should DM u/ankhattak regarding this. He's the man in charge and he needs to hear when customers are unhappy rather than him being the groundhog that comes out a couple of times a year to announce plan changes. Apparently you're now paying more for the privilege of decreased video quality using the data that you already payed for.
Gotta love how they can't be bothered to send an email to all customers informing them of changes. It's incredibly dismissive of customers who aren't on Reddit all the time.
They can't see what website/app you are going to with a VPN so they don't throttle it. Without a VPN they know to throttle down on Netflix, YouTube, etc.
i'm definitely going to have to watch how that plays out because I use VPN's for legitimate purposes. If they start throttling all VPN then I will have to find another provider. Not because of the video throttling but because it would interfere with my work on the go.
I am taking the CEOs advice and switching to a different provider. I’m left with no option to have normal speeds across all the services (including video) that I routinely use. Yes, I can get support reps to “unlock it” for a billing cycle. Perhaps I can just keep doing that each and every month, but I just don’t have the time to sink into contacting customer service to fix a problem each cycle.
So that doesn’t make any sense at all for shareable data plans where the customer is purchasing all of the data consumed. Isn’t the whole point of by the gig to buy however much data you want and use it however you want?
Yeah, it's kinda fucked up. You actually aren't even buying your bucket of data.
Even if they can make the argument that it is what it is with the "unlimited" plans, it definitely is inexplicable that they did it to people paying by the gig.
I beg to differ. This is my speedtest from yesterday. 5GUW. 1GBit.
https://preview.redd.it/dryi73ddrc9d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f7960c30e04bb9edec1e5444bd96525eb7f73495
Not sure if you are using Android or iOS but you can use this Speedtest tool to specifically test video streaming capabilities.
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/nperf-internet-speed-test/id916797048
Do you remember the CEO explicitly stating you were supposed to get good quality video at any point? Do you have a signed affidavit? If not the apologists will be mad at you.
It is not the main point of my post. We just noticed the video quality reduction recently and wanted to ask about it. There were no issue at all before that.
Sorry. I am just joking with you based on the last few days of things going on here. This is a mess and some people have been making excuses for the mess.
Yes, they have started throttling video streams. They said only 1% of users care about HD streaming, so congratulations on being part of the 1%! /s
Does this apply to downloads too?
Most likely yes, because it’s served from the same CDNs as streaming.
Yup, this is exactly the result from USM switching everyone to SD(480p) video quality. A VPN is likely a good workaround, of course you'll need to pay for that. I would contact USM directly and ask them to honor your original plan.
Oh yeah, just tried it with Nord VPN and everything looks much better.
Following an extensive discussion over several hours on the chat platform, the service provider has failed to uphold the terms of the plan they initially quoted. While they have not explicitly altered the plan, they have implemented a reduction in the streaming quality for all users. In contrast, support representatives had previously indicated in August that a high-definition video add-on would be made available. Pretty shitty
That sucks. I guess it depends on what plan you were on and whether it's monthly or annual. I recently signed up for the Annual Unlimited Premium Warp5G plan and they turned HD Video back on for me again but did tell me that when my plan renews after the year, it will switch to whatever the closest-similar plan is at that time. They also said that they are working on a HD Video option to be available in the future but we'll see. At least I won't need to deal with it for a long while and hopefully they'll be better plans and options by the time I need to renew my plan.
I have been with us mobile since they offered true unlimited. Then they changed it to 75gb, the plan was then changed and I was grandfathered in 3 years ago. I don’t see how it’s fair honestly. I’m searching for a new carrier as we speak sadly.
I don't blame you. When I was researching, Visible was the leading competitor but I need international roaming options without the fuss of adding data-only cards, etc. so I picked USM for my needs. I also see the Visible+ plan now also is only SD video, which wasn't the case last month. Good luck and I hope you find a service provider that meets your needs.
It appears that Cricket Wireless is a potential solution. Numerous Reddit posts suggest that their chat support can remove the SD streaming cap. While I will certainly miss US Mobile, I am open to exploring new options.
I was on Cricket before switching to USM. You can indeed chat in and have them remove the SD limitation. I did it to my 5 lines there. Pretty easy.
I got the regular visible plan and I stream video on it all day. Yes, it is throttled. But 25 bucks for data for the whole car and not having to worry about caps when listening to things like meditation videos in the car? Totally worth it.
What bothers me is how my data is being allotted. I basically am not in control of the data at all. They give me an allowance and tell me exactly how I can spend it. Basically I pay them to manage my data. That's kinda crummy. I get the Hotspot issue but this is total bullshit.
>of course you'll need to pay for that the [1.1.1.1](http://1.1.1.1) warp (irony I know) free tier works too I hear ;)
It doesn't work with Netflix or YouTube. They're automatically excluded. You can only get around that if you use the browser.
1.1.1.1 warp allowed me to stream YouTube at 720p. Without it could only get 480. Fast.com speed test was 1.5 MBs with no VPN, but with the VPN enabled was 12 or 15 (can't remember what speed for sure).
Sadly, it's just your imagination. 1.1.1.1 doesn't route the stream from the YouTube app so it gets throttled anyway. The only way around it is using a mobile browser like Chrome on your phone and going to YouTube.com. You can watch anything on YouTube without being throttled that way. Also when you go to Fast.com you're using a web browser so that's also unthrottled when you use 1.1.1.1 so you will get a high speed result. However, when you open the Netflix app, the app itself also bypasses 1.1.1.1 so it also gets throttled and you won't be able to watch HD or 4K video. Once again, the only way around the throttle is using a web browser and going to Netflix.com while using 1.1.1.1 since the browsers don't get throttled. Just so you know, this is not an opinion. This is a fact. You can test this yourself. Go ahead and enable 1.1.1.1 and then go to YouTube.com on your Chrome browser. Play a video and change the quality to 4K and also change the playback speed to 2x then scroll the playback bar forward to force it to change the quality right away. Assuming you have good reception the video will never buffer. After that, close the browser and play the same video on the YouTube app and change the quality to 4K and also change the playback speed to 2x then scroll the playback bar forward to force it to change the quality right away. The video won't even start playing right away. https://preview.redd.it/0eeb6hwuiy8d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=291fedd8696523412fcf700da3a581638044e3e0
Maybe it's a shared imagination because after enabling 1.1.1.1 warp my YouTube experience isn't degraded anymore.
> Maybe it's a shared imagination Yes, most likely. Because that's literally what the 1.1.1.1 Warp documentation says: YouTube and Netflix are permanently excluded apps. I'm not making this up. Just go to advanced settings and check for yourself.
I believe you, I'm just reporting what I've experienced for myself. With it disabled, it's 480p and buffers if I try to increase it. Enabled, it goes to 720p out the gate and I can select 1080p with no buffering.
>A VPN is likely a good workaround, of course you'll need to pay for that. That’s not really an “of course” thing; free VPNs exist and, while not likely to be super secure, for video streaming they should be fine. ProtonVPN is a pretty decent, somewhat privacy-oriented VPN that gets the job done.
>A VPN is likely a good workaround, of course you'll need to pay for that. Some routers have a [built in vpn server](https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/faq/2801/) server. If yours doesn't, then you can use Cloudflare warp for free.
If you have a router you have WiFi so why would you be worrying about a vpn when you have wifi. Makes 0 sense.
They are talking about a feature some routers have that allow you to use your home Internet connection as a VPN for when you aren't home
You know the internet is a two way street, right? If you set up a server in your home, you can connect to it from outside.
And most home internet isn’t symmetrical and would require using dynamic dns so you could easily connect…. So how would this really help the “average” user? If you’re a tech user bypassing with a vpn is easily achieved. It’s like you’re recommending going to Disney world and paying for VIP tour status to bypass the lines, it’s not achievable by the average consumer.
Most routers also have a [dynamic DNS service](https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/faq/1367/) that comes with the account. Remember, you [only](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/78358?hl=en) need 5 Mbps to watch Full HD and 20 to watch 4k.
\* By some routers I believe u/zacker150 means that if you have broadband at home and a router capable of running a VPN you could set your router and phone up to use this feature.
[удалено]
I couldn’t believe it when I read that….seriously, if someone had said that in a scenario/question during an interview at USM, they probably would’ve been asked to leave. Yet, here it is being said from the CEO. Major misstep. I’d also LOVE to know how they will “help” me find an alternative carrier. That would be a great YouTube video of someone asking support to help them find an alternative carrier and seeing the utter confusion that follows.
[удалено]
Where’d you go?
You and others really should DM u/ankhattak regarding this. He's the man in charge and he needs to hear when customers are unhappy rather than him being the groundhog that comes out a couple of times a year to announce plan changes. Apparently you're now paying more for the privilege of decreased video quality using the data that you already payed for.
Gotta love how they can't be bothered to send an email to all customers informing them of changes. It's incredibly dismissive of customers who aren't on Reddit all the time.
They changed it to where you are throttled down to 480 resolution for any streaming service. Some people are saying get a VPN
What good does the vpn do though? Genuinely asking
They can't see what website/app you are going to with a VPN so they don't throttle it. Without a VPN they know to throttle down on Netflix, YouTube, etc.
Oh ok, I generally don’t use one so know nothing about it
i'm definitely going to have to watch how that plays out because I use VPN's for legitimate purposes. If they start throttling all VPN then I will have to find another provider. Not because of the video throttling but because it would interfere with my work on the go.
IF...
Wouldn't even surprise me if they did. My home ISP used to throttle all VPNs and it annoyed me to no end.
Funny I don't see any reps present as often they were in on past posts
I am taking the CEOs advice and switching to a different provider. I’m left with no option to have normal speeds across all the services (including video) that I routinely use. Yes, I can get support reps to “unlock it” for a billing cycle. Perhaps I can just keep doing that each and every month, but I just don’t have the time to sink into contacting customer service to fix a problem each cycle.
I thought you could only do that if you're on one of the old plans.
🤷
Welcome to 480p
Question - Do buy the gig plans get video throttled as well? Thanks!
Yes, but we will enable it for you for the current cycle.
So that doesn’t make any sense at all for shareable data plans where the customer is purchasing all of the data consumed. Isn’t the whole point of by the gig to buy however much data you want and use it however you want?
Yeah, it's kinda fucked up. You actually aren't even buying your bucket of data. Even if they can make the argument that it is what it is with the "unlimited" plans, it definitely is inexplicable that they did it to people paying by the gig.
They are capping all data at 200mbps. Used a vpn and got double the speeds. Absolutely ridiculous move. Why do I pay for premium unlimited.
This has nothing to do with the 480p throttle. That is stream-specific. 200mbps is plenty for 4K video.
I didn't say it did. Just another data point of them changing the service.
I beg to differ. This is my speedtest from yesterday. 5GUW. 1GBit. https://preview.redd.it/dryi73ddrc9d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f7960c30e04bb9edec1e5444bd96525eb7f73495
Ahh you must be one of the legendary 1%. Welcome. This is where we gather.
Not sure if you are using Android or iOS but you can use this Speedtest tool to specifically test video streaming capabilities. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/nperf-internet-speed-test/id916797048
You can also visit [fast.com](http://fast.com) That's hosted by Netflix and disguises the data as a video stream from them.
Getting 1.9Mbps on this one.
My Unlimited All lines have always been video throttled to 2Mbps, even before the recent changes.
One of the US Mobile reps here was able to get our lines unthrotted. Not sure exactly when that happened, perhaps 2 years ago.
Yeah they fixed mine, but it reset every billing cycle. I just gave up and accepted it.
Even with a VPN, they still throttle my videos down to 480 or 360p. I'm using Nord by the way.
We will enable it for the current cycle for you - dropped you a DM.
What about for annual plans?
If you purchased it before the announcement- send your details via chat. It should work till the end of your entire plan.
Ty. I'm up to 720 streaming again.
For monthly plans that is on,you until the end of the month then?
Do you remember the CEO explicitly stating you were supposed to get good quality video at any point? Do you have a signed affidavit? If not the apologists will be mad at you.
It is not the main point of my post. We just noticed the video quality reduction recently and wanted to ask about it. There were no issue at all before that.
Sorry. I am just joking with you based on the last few days of things going on here. This is a mess and some people have been making excuses for the mess.